Lewiston man walks away from car vs. snowmobile hit-and-run

LEWISTON (NEWS CENTER Maine) - A man from Lewiston says he’s lucky to be alive after a car smashed into his snowmobile, sending him and the machine flying into a snow bank.

The driver of that car sped off without stopping. Now police are trying to track that person down.

“All I remember is a big bang and I know I got hit, that I knew”, said Ben Belanger.

Monday evening around 5:30 Belanger and his son Jeff were snowmobiling down a popular trail on their way to a restaurant. As Ben edged the nose of his sled off the trail into the breakdown lane of Route 196 a car slowed down to stop, but the car behind sped around, passing it in that breakdown lane.

“All of a sudden, Bang. Off I went right into the snowbank with the sled”, he said.

Jeff was behind him on his own snowmobile and watched in horror as his dad got hit.

“I watched my father get flung from the snowmobile and I watched him lay there motionless on the side of the road for awhile”, Jeff Belanger said.

Stunned and shaken, Ben Belanger walked away without a scratch, all because of where the car struck the sled.

“A matter of inches it could’ve been a different story", said Jeff.

Ben added "If it had been another foot it would’ve creamed me”.

All the Belangers know about the vehicle is that it’s a Silver 4 door sedan, that now has significant damage to the front end. Not much to go on. They’re hoping anyone who knows anything will contact the Lewiston Police Department.

A local body shop has offered to take a look at the pieces that broke off the car and were left behind at the scene in hopes of nailing down an exact make and model. Since none of the witness got the license plate number, any clues will help”

“It was a pretty big collision, they knew they hit something”, said Jeff.

From now on Ben says he’ll be extra cautious when approaching roadways, but that’s about all he’ll change.

“I’m going right back on, this isn’t stopping me. I’m tough”, he said.